Wanting to demonstrate that “cities can be less impactful on the planet,” natural builder Lydia Doleman bought and remodeled a Portland house to demonstrate her values. Composting toilets reduce water usage while feeding the soil. Growing food shortens dependencies. Building materials were recycled and/or less toxic. She revised the floor plan to create spaces which encourage shared living rather than separate spaces. She also built Portland’s first permitted straw bale residence a cob studio and. Take a tour with Lydia in part 2. Episode 246. [theflyinghammer.com]
Natural Buildings for Urban Living (part 1)
By Janaia Donaldson, originally published by Peak Moment Television
November 18, 2013
Janaia Donaldson
Janaia Donaldson is the host and producer of Peak Moment TV conversations showcasing grass roots entrepreneurs pioneering locally reliant, resilient communities during these challenging times of energy and resource decline, ecological limits, and economic turbulence. We tour North America in our mobile studio, taping on location. Peak Moment Conversations are online at www.peakmoment.tv/
Tags: Buildings, Cohousing, compost toilets, strawbale building, Urban Design
Related Articles
Why pronatalism won’t reverse birth-rate decline
By Nandita Bajaj, Pamela Mahoney Tsigdinos, Repro Uncensored
Slower growth — and ultimately zero growth — is good for people and the planet, but not for those in power, who for millennia relied on women’s reproductive labor to produce more workers, consumers, and taxpayers. Today’s Trump-era and even progressive pronatalist policies try to reverse the trend, but there’s a reason why they won’t work.
July 13, 2026
A legacy worth celebrating? Reflecting on 250 years of the American experiment
By Nate Hagens, The Great Simplification
As America marks its 250th birthday, Nate takes a moment to step outside of the celebrations to seek out a wider boundary perspective on this milestone holiday. He poses the question of whether the United States has truly matured as a nation over two and a half centuries, particularly through the lenses of energy, ecology, history, and culture.
July 13, 2026
‘Let’s call it earth grief’: Naming pain and loss in the age of climate crisis
By Stephanie Klotz, Stephanie Klotz on Linkedin
For decades, climate professionals and the informed public have been living with the disturbing knowledge of what is coming. Now, as the impacts of climate predictions begin to come true, we live with the devastating reality of what is happening, and we feel it deeply. This sorrow deserves a name.
July 10, 2026





